Art social media jealousy is something you’re probably familiar with. Building a following online is almost a requirement for artists, so it’s no surprise we compare things like follower count and likes.

But comparing can easily become jealousy. I know I still feel that way sometimes, though I’m careful to keep it from controlling me. After all, social media jealousy takes the fun out of what you love, and leaves you demotivated.

Social media jealousy is tough to deal with, but there are ways to avoid and prevent it, so you can be a happier and more productive artist. Click To Tweet

Here are some actionable techniques I’ve learned over my years online (got my start on Deviantart back in 2014!). Let me know which ones you’ve been doing, or plan to start.

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Stop doing things that cause social media jealousy

Have you noticed any actions that trigger your jealousy?

For me, it’s scrolling my Twitter feed. Seeing the thousands of likes other people get kills my motivation, so I decided to stop.

It’s important not to justify your triggers, otherwise you’ll stay in the jealousy cycle. Now, instead of finding inspiration through my feed, I find other sites that focus only on art.

The same goes for notifications. If they make you feel worse after checking, ditch it. I avoid my notifications until the end of the day, using Tweetdeck to see only messages.

Redefine your social media goals

All that said, social media is still a tool for artists. I wouldn’t tell you to drop it completely.

Instead, redefine your meaning of social media success so that it’s personal. For me, that means ignoring likes and focusing on generating more engagement and conversation.

Why? Because not all social media attention is equal. Likes and follows are easily given, but that doesn’t mean much if your goal is to make a living from your art.

Stepping away from a default definition of social media success means you’re less likely to focus on others, and more focused on what you can improve.

Know what’s out of your control

Sometimes, the problem isn’t even that your art is bad, but that social media attention is unpredictable.

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A lot of artists blame algorithms for slow follower growth. Though I agree there is some bias, good art and consistency will still win in the end. If your art isn’t doing as well as expected, let it go and just repost it.

Replace social media validation

It’s hard to deny likes are addictive. Everytime I see my notifications light up, it’s a small dopamine hit.

It got to the point where my likes = my worth as an artist. I would try to pump out art everyday just so I wouldn’t wake up to zero notifications. Unsurprisingly, this led to burn out and low self-esteem. Not good.

Groups and communities are a great way to replace likes. Having people you can share your art with replaces the short-term social media mindset, since you aren’t worried about finishing something asap.

You can join Discord servers for NSFW artists like the NSFW Artists Guild or the Lewd Art Network. Having people you can talk to and share your stuff with leads to a stronger community and support for your art.

Remind yourself why you make art

Whether you started as a hobby, or plan to do art full-time, keeping your goals in mind keeps the social media jealousy away.

I find that you compare yourself less, and hold yourself accountable to your own standards rather than other’s.

Handpicked for you: Refresh your artistic goals with these 3 simple exercises

For example, I used to post everyday just so I could get that extra bit of attention. Now, I focus on making stuff I’m proud of. Even if it ‘flops’, I know I’m happier than if I posted shit.

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‘If I was you, now what?’ Exercise

Lastly, whenever I feel jealous of another artist, I ask myself:

“What am I jealous about? Their skill, follower count, or interactions? What would change if I had that thing?”

Usually, we’re jealous because we want to accomplish something. A large following means more people willing to pay for our art. Better art skills means being able to increase prices. More interactions means more motivation to draw.

And when you know what you want, you can start planning the steps to get there. The jealousy will slowly be replaced by self-confidence as you make your way to your goal.

Closing

I realize it might seem hypocritical to write this article, when I have a decent following myself. However, social media jealousy can affect anyone, regardless of follower size. I know artists with thousands of followers who still complain that noone cares about their art.

In the end, I think it’s a mindset thing. You can choose to maximize what you have (that’s an entire article in itself), or keep chasing more in hopes it’ll make you happy.

Chances are, it won’t.

How will you start moving away from social media jealousy? Let me know by commenting or tweeting me. Feel free to share this with your art friends too!

Cheers, Beats